--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think free speech is probably the…" description: "\"I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have in this country, and again, you can label it hate speech and dismiss it, and then you're allo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg" --- # I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have… ![“I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have in this country, and again, you can label it hate speech and dismiss it, and then you're allowed to censor it.” quote by Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg) > “I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have in this country, and again, you can label it hate speech and dismiss it, and then you're allowed to censor it.” [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Free speech is valued, yet labeling it as hate speech leads to censorship. **In simple terms:** Free speech vs. hate speech labeling. Key Takeaway Question the limits of free speech. Themes free speech censorship political discourse Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political rallies - online platforms - legislative hearings Key Concepts media regulation public debate social media Questions to Reflect On - When does hate speech become a threat to safety? - How should societies balance free expression and protection? A Different Perspective Censorship can suppress legitimate dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allowed Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowed-censor-3853864/) [Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Freedom of speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-speech/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-speech/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Think Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-free-242459/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“the language of free speech is used to protect hate speech, itself an attempt to deprive others of their freedom of speech, to scare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-language-of-free-speech-is-used-to-protect-hate-speech-itself-an/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [If we don't believe in free expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-we-don-t-believe-in-free-expression-for-people-we-despise-we-don-t/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In liberal society we claim that freedom of speech is sacred and therefore has an absolute character. But we know (or should know) that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/in-liberal-society-we-claim-that-freedom-of-speech-is-sacred-and/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [Think 'free speech,' not 'free beer.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/think-free-speech-not-free-beer/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Free speech should never mean hate speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciana-berger/free-speech-should-never-mean-hate-speech/) [Luciana Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciana-berger/) > [There is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. Free speech encourages debate whereas hate speech incites violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-lee/there-is-a-fine-line-between-free-speech-and-hate-speech-free-speech/) [Newton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-lee/) > [Hate speech can't be a part of free speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-jaitley/hate-speech-can-t-be-a-part-of-free-speech/) [Arun Jaitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arun-jaitley/) > [In most Western democracies, you do have the freedom of speech. But freedom of speech is not an entitlement to reach. You are free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/in-most-western-democracies-you-do-have-the-freedom-of-speech-but/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [“Freedom of Speech doesn't justify online bullying. Words have power, be careful how you use them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/freedom-of-speech-doesn-t-justify-online-bullying-words-have-power-be/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The censor is always quick to justify his function in terms that are protective of society. But the First Amendment, written in terms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-censor-is-always-quick-to-justify-his-function-in-terms-that-are/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [“When picking a leader, choose a peacemaker. One who unites, not divides. A cultured leader who supports the arts and true freedom of speech,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/when-picking-a-leader-choose-a-peacemaker-one-who-unites-not-divides/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-make-their-citizens-proud-one-who-will-stir/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-keep-jobs-in-your-country-by-offering/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-black/the-government-s-power-to-censor-the-press-was-abolished-so-that-the/) [Hugo Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-black/) > [“Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-a-edwards/too-many-adults-wish-to-protect-teenagers-when-they-should-be/) [Margaret A. Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-a-edwards/) ## More by Dana Carvey > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I'm a real people-pleaser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-m-a-real-people-pleaser/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I couldn't do any of my other characters, you know? But I could have done the lady. Church Lady's Malibu Beach party is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-couldn-t-do-any-of-my-other-characters-you-know-but-i-could-have/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I don't find biology as interesting as politics and humanism. I talk more about existential stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-don-t-find-biology-as-interesting-as-politics-and-humanism-i-talk/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [We didn't even think about it, you know? I used to collect laser discs, and you'd have some college professor analyzing It's a Wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/we-didn-t-even-think-about-it-you-know-i-used-to-collect-laser-discs/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I really enjoy being a dad, and maybe I took it too seriously, but I love being around my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-really-enjoy-being-a-dad-and-maybe-i-took-it-too-seriously-but-i/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [That's why modern corporate movie making has become so laborious that comedians are kind of kicked out by 50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/that-s-why-modern-corporate-movie-making-has-become-so-laborious-that/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I've never really worked on them. Just once in a while one hits me and makes me laugh. My Al Gore was sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-ve-never-really-worked-on-them-just-once-in-a-while-one-hits-me-and/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I know it's a cliche, but the whole family is just whacked. I mean, we're all out of our minds. They're the funniest, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-know-it-s-a-cliche-but-the-whole-family-is-just-whacked-i-mean-we/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I have no regrets. I wanted to raise the kids and be a present father. When I developed a movie, I was gone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-have-no-regrets-i-wanted-to-raise-the-kids-and-be-a-present-father/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I have a theory that if you're famous more years than you're not famous, then you get a little nutty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-have-a-theory-that-if-you-re-famous-more-years-than-you-re-not/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [If I only ran when nothing hurt, I would never run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/if-i-only-ran-when-nothing-hurt-i-would-never-run/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [It's almost like he's started to sound even more exotic the more people started doing him. I don't know why, but there's just something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/it-s-almost-like-he-s-started-to-sound-even-more-exotic-the-more/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [My characters all start with rhythms and sounds. Once I hear the voice and get into the rhythm, the attitude and the physicality just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/my-characters-all-start-with-rhythms-and-sounds-once-i-hear-the-voice/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I'm thirty years old, but I read at the thirty-four-year-old level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-m-thirty-years-old-but-i-read-at-the-thirty-four-year-old-level/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) [Explore all 47 Dana Carvey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) ## More Censor quotes > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/satire-that-the-censor-understands-is-rightly-censored/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Censorship makes me really angry. I even hate it when people censor themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/censorship-makes-me-really-angry-i-even-hate-it-when-people-censor/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granville-hicks/a-censor-is-a-man-who-knows-more-than-he-thinks-you-ought-to/) [Granville Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granville-hicks/) > [“Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-keep-jobs-in-your-country-by-offering/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [A performance art piece is unprecedented. It is difficult to censor since it has a good possibility of never being done before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/a-performance-art-piece-is-unprecedented-it-is-difficult-to-censor/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you're afraid to the point where you censor yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-think-the-enemy-is-self-censorship-in-a-free-society-the-biggest/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [Film is such a powerful medium. It's like a weapon and I think you have a duty to self-censor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/film-is-such-a-powerful-medium-it-s-like-a-weapon-and-i-think-you/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Metellus Numidicus, the censor, acknowledged to the Roman people, in a public oration, that had kind nature allowed us to exist without the help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/metellus-numidicus-the-censor-acknowledged-to-the-roman-people-in-a/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“To be clear, Goodreads staff have not been deleting any posts. A value we've always had here is that we don't censor content (unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/to-be-clear-goodreads-staff-have-not-been-deleting-any-posts-a-value/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [One could think of ways to defeat the censor. I could put up the answers on my Facebook page or website or Counterpunch. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/one-could-think-of-ways-to-defeat-the-censor-i-could-put-up-the/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [“I struggle each day not to let the fear of the censor poison my writing. Where the censor rules, a dull sameness creeps into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mazer/i-struggle-each-day-not-to-let-the-fear-of-the-censor-poison-my/) [Harry Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mazer/) > [Words alone can rarely justify censorship. If we censor words themselves without looking at the context, we could shut down much of the entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-walczak/words-alone-can-rarely-justify-censorship-if-we-censor-words/) [Witold Walczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-walczak/) > [An actor cannot be a censor. I'm there to interpret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mcdowell/an-actor-cannot-be-a-censor-i-m-there-to-interpret/) [Malcolm McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mcdowell/) [Browse all 167 Censor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have in this country, and again, you can label it hate speech and dismiss it, and then you're allowed to censor it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dana Carvey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-coolest-thing-we-have-in-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-coolest-thing-we-have-in-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/dana-carvey-14299_communication_i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-cool_2049337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think free speech is probably the coolest thing we have in this country, and again, you can label it hate…” — Dana Carvey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dana Carvey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think free speech is probably...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-coolest-thing-we-have-in-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/i-think-free-speech-is-probably-the-coolest-thing-we-have-in-this/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```